Top 20 Tight End Rankings for 2012 NFL Draft
11. Brian Linthicum, Michigan State, 6’5″ 243 (RS Senior)
Big, athletic tight end prospect who will take over in 2011 as the full time starter for the departed Charlie Gantt. Big play threat who has had a couple of excellent seasons as a key reserve for the Spartans. 38 receptions for 496 yards and five touchdowns over the last two seasons. Transferred to Michigan State from Clemson where he had 11 receptions in 2007, three of which went for touchdowns. Linthicum will have to prove that his legal issues are behind him, as he was arrested in Vail, Colorado over Spring break and has been dropped down the depth chart as a result. There’s no doubt he has the talent off the field, but hopefully it will not be wasted because of mistakes off of it.
12. Colter Phillips, Virginia, 6’6′ 250 (Junior)
**No scouting report yet available**
13. Kavario Middleton, Montana, 6’5″ 253 (Senior) **Transfer**
**No scouting report yet available**
14. Kevin Koger, Michigan, 6’4″ 256 (Senior)
Koger will need a monster season in order to be drafted next year. While he has great size for a Tight End (6’4″ 255 Pounds) he simply has not seen enough action due to playing his first 3 years in a spread offense. He will likely get picked in the 7th round if he does get drafted.
15. Blake Ayles, Miami, 6’5″ 262 (Senior) **Transfer**
Big body at the tight end position who is a pretty good athlete who can really help the Hurricanes going into the 2011 season. Former USC tight end who was granted immediate eligibility this year due to the issues at USC. Should be a big contributor to the Miami offense as a receiver as well as a blocker. Better receiver than his numbers would indicate, which is why a move to Miami will be very beneficial for him. He isn’t the quickest tight end prospect I’ve seen, but when he gets a full head of steam, he is hard to slow down. He has very good hands, and can really stretch the field.
16. Michael Williams, Alabama, 6’6″ 270 (RS Junior)
**No scouting report yet available**
17. Aron White, Georgia, 6’4″ 240 (RS Senior)
A little bit more of a question mark at the tight end position is Aron White for the Georgia Bulldogs. He missed a ton of time last year because of injury, but when he was at his best, he was very productive. In 2009 as a sophomore, he had 13 receptions for 198 yards and four touchdowns. Averaging over 15 yards per reception, he is obviously capable of making big plays, and having nearly 1/3 of his receptions go for touchdowns is telling as well. If he can stay healthy, sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray has to be giddy about the opportunity to throw to these big guys. Georgia is a team that loves to run, and that’s not possible without good blocking from the tight end position. Both guys need to work on it, but both are better than their receiving prowess would indicate. Still, that’s always the main area to work on for college tight ends
18. Josh Chichester, Louisville, 6’8″ 240 (Senior)
**No scouting report yet available**
19. Deangelo Peterson, LSU, 6’4″ 243 (Senior)
Peterson is a guy who plays more of a fullback role for the Tigers, not really catching a lot of passes from the tight end position. He had 198 yards on 16 receptions last season, going without a touchdown though he does have two career scores to his name. Obviously playing for LSU, he has to be able to block somebody if the offense is going to have success, so that is something he is pretty good at. At this point, he is a fringe draftable player who will be on NFL radars because of the college he comes from and his size. Highly recruited WR out of high school who has a lot of potential as a pass receiver, but probably didn’t choose the correct school to catch passes at. Not to say that LSU is a poor passing school, but it’s certainly not what they are known for.
20. Anthony Miller, California, 6’3″ 262 (Senior)
**No scouting report yet available**